Are open space buildings history? Future of aging Loveland farmstead at the former HP site is unclear

By Jessica Maher Reporter-Herald Staff Writer

Posted:
06/15/2013 10:21:33 PM MDT

What should happen to a set of century-old buildings that are an unassuming part of Loveland's newest natural area, link the city's past with its future, sit in a floodway and as such may never be able to be occupied again?

That's the question that multiple city staffers and board and commission members have come together to try and answer, and as might be expected, there have been some disagreements.

Ever since the city began discussing plans for the River's Edge Natural Area two years ago and presented proposed designs that included the removal of the 1890s farmstead known as Swartz farm, the Loveland Historical Society has resolved to save the structures.

Advertisement

"The citizens of Loveland own this property, and we want to have it available to the citizens," Loveland Historical Society President Mike Perry said.

In the Plans

The Swartz Farmstead on South Railroad Avenue is located on the property formerly owned by Hewlett-Packard and then by Agilent, and which the city acquired in 2011. It became the most-recent addition to the city's Open Lands Program and what is now the River's Edge Natural Area, which will feature access to ponds, a wetland boardwalk and trail connections.

But after initial meetings and proposals on the open space, what was placed into the River's Edge plans with respect to the historic farmstead was, in fact, nothing.

The matter was intentionally unresolved.

"The farm was specifically not included within the master plan so that the Historical Society proposal could be made," City Manager Bill Cahill said.

For the past year or so, the Loveland Historical Society has been working with the city Historic Preservation Commission on proposals -- they're on their third one. Perry, who is also a member of the commission, said that it had been a collaborative process and at a recent meeting in early May, the city gave the groups more time to submit a modified proposal based on economic concerns.

So when the city's Department of Parks and Recreation applied for a demolition permit for the buildings just days after that meeting, Perry said it came as quite a shock.

"It's kind of hanging over our heads that this could happen," he said.

Cahill said the demolition permit does not put the buildings in immediate risk of being razed but is inside the first step of a process that can take half a year. Once the permit is pulled on a property that may be historical, it's reviewed by a subcommittee of the Historic Preservation Commission. In this case, commission members decided that the site may have historical significance and have started the process to nominate it to the local historic register.

"That effectively stops the demo permit and sets in place a process that can take 150 days before the issue can have a final decision," Cahill said.

Through future meetings with all parties involved, officials are hoping a decision can come much earlier than that.

Rob Burdine, Loveland's Open Lands manager, said that it remains the city's intention to continue working with the Historic Preservation Commission and Historical Society toward their common goals. But first they have to figure out where that common ground is.

"I don't think anyone's goal is ever to demolish all the structures," Burdine said. "Some of them make sense for our purposes."

In initial plans for River's Edge, the land where the Swartz Farmstead stands was used for eastern access to the natural area that's also accessible off First Street. Those preliminary plans also included parking space and a bus turn-around on top of the current structures.

There is some urgency to find common ground, however, with construction of River's Edge underway and set to open to the public this fall.

What Could Be

When Perry stands in the overgrown courtyard surrounded by the farm buildings that hint at Loveland's agricultural beginnings, he sees a future that would be invaluable to the Loveland community, particularly children. It's one of the few complete farmsteads still intact in the county -- a silo, machine shed, pump house, barn, chicken shed, farmhouse and more -- nine buildings total plus loafing shed ruins.

"This has all the buildings," Perry said. "It's the perfect opportunity for citizens to come in and see what a farmstead looked like."

The opportunity, of course, comes with a price tag. Late last year, the city hired a consultant to estimate the cost of renovating the entire farmstead. It came to about $500,000 for all the buildings, which compares to estimated cost of $30,000 to $40,000 to demolish them all.

But the figure assumes that every building would be renovated, and Perry realizes that's a dream scenario. The Historical Society has eyed the two-story barn and the farmhouse as the buildings they'd most like to renovate for public use.

The farmhouse was most recently used as a meeting space when Hewlett-Packard owned the property and would likely need the least amount of work, Perry said.

"What our view of what we would use the site for is for small groups like the Boy Scouts," Perry said. "They'd be able to camp on that site, gardeners could come in and learn about wildlife ... it would be a real good learning tool."

Structures that would be too costly to abate and renovate, like the chicken coop, would be on view but cordoned off in the most recent proposal.

In that most recent proposal, Historical Society members have conceded that they'd be willing to let go of the hope of having a complete farmstead. The core buildings listed in the proposal as being highest priority surround a courtyard and include the farmhouse, barn, chicken shed and carriage house. They've changed their position and told the city that the silo, machine shed and loafing shed ruins could be removed if necessary.

"We're willing to let go of those if we had to," Perry said.

Society members have also cited the possibility of grant funding toward the effort, and have pledged to provide an on-site manager who would live and work at the farmstead.

Stay Tuned

For the first time -- and which Burdine admits should have happened earlier -- the Open Lands Advisory Commission, Historic Preservation Commission, city staff and the Loveland Historical Society plan to sit down together in the coming weeks and discuss the situation from all angles.

"The first step really is to decide on the right path going ahead," Cahill said. "Depending on how this is all defined, it may or may not require demolition of some or all of the farmstead. We won't know until we get through this next step."

There's also another significant hurdle beyond coming to an agreement for moving forward. The entire farmstead sits in a floodway, and unless the structures receive a designation on the National Register of Historic Places, they cannot be occupied.

Perry said the Loveland Historical Society will begin working toward that designation, which can be also be a lengthy process, as members know firsthand from their efforts with the Milner-Schwarz house across the street.

"There's a lot of work, but there always is when you're trying to preserve history," he said.